What does ARKids cover at the dentist?

What ARKids covers, in plain terms

ARKids First-A (full Medicaid for children) and ARKids First-B (lower-cost coverage for working families) both cover preventive and most restorative pediatric dental care. Here’s what’s covered at our office:

Preventive — covered, no cost to you

• Cleanings every six months
• Comprehensive exams
• X-rays as needed (typically once a year)
• Fluoride treatments
• Sealants on permanent molars

Restorative — covered, no cost to you

• Fillings (baby teeth and permanent teeth)
• Crowns on baby teeth (sometimes called “stainless steel crowns”)
• Pulp treatments on baby teeth (“baby root canals”)
• Extractions when needed
• Space maintainers if a baby tooth is lost early

Emergency — covered

• Treatment for dental pain
• Infection treatment
• Repair of broken teeth from injury

Orthodontics — sometimes covered, depends on the case

Orthodontic treatment is covered by ARKids when it’s medically necessary — meaning the bite or alignment issue is severe enough to affect your child’s health, eating, speech, or jaw development. Cosmetic orthodontics (mostly straightening for appearance) is generally not covered.

We do an orthodontic evaluation at age 7 for every patient, including ARKids patients, as part of the I-19 Pathway. If the evaluation shows your child has a medically necessary case, we’ll submit it to ARKids for approval. If it’s a borderline case, we’ll talk you through what’s covered, what isn’t, and what your options are.

What we don’t charge you for

If a service is covered by ARKids, you owe nothing at the visit. No co-pay, no balance bill, no surprises. ARKids First-A has no co-pays. ARKids First-B has small co-pays for some services, but most preventive and restorative dental care has no co-pay even on Plan B.

What might cost extra

A few things ARKids doesn’t cover:

• Cosmetic-only treatments (whitening, veneers — generally not relevant for kids)
• Some adult-style orthodontic options (clear aligners, etc.) — traditional braces are typically what’s covered for medically necessary cases
• Missed appointment fees (if you no-show repeatedly without calling)

If we ever recommend a service that ARKids doesn’t cover, we’ll tell you up front, in writing, and let you decide whether to proceed.

How to use ARKids at your visit

Bring your child’s ARKids card to every appointment. We verify coverage on our end before each visit, but having the card with you helps us catch any plan changes immediately.

If your ARKids coverage changed recently — new plan, new ID number, lapsed and reinstated — let us know when you check in. We don’t want to find out about a coverage gap after the appointment.

Why we accept ARKids

Many pediatric dental offices in Arkansas don’t accept ARKids — the reimbursement rates are lower than private insurance, and the paperwork is more involved. We accept it because the alternative is that ARKids families travel hours for routine care, or skip care entirely until something becomes a serious problem. Both of those outcomes hurt kids in our community.

The I-19 Pathway™ is the same plan for every patient at Super Smiles, regardless of how the visit is paid for. ARKids families get the same exam, the same documentation, the same age-7 ortho eval, and the same written next-step plan.

Questions about your specific coverage?

Call our office before your appointment. We’ll verify what your child’s plan covers for the procedures we’re recommending, so there are no surprises at checkout.